Bhubaneswar: For the 11th year in a row, the Jindal Foundation, the social arm of Jindal Steel & Power, has continued to serve devotees of Rath Yatra in Puri, demonstrating its compassion and dedication to community service. This year, the Foundation has served over 10 lakh freshly cooked and nutritious meals during the grand festival. The services will continue until the auspicious day of Sunabesha, aiming to provide more than 20 lakh meals.
To serve the devotees, the Foundation has set up two massive food distribution stalls – near the Puri Railway Station and the bus stand near the Gundicha Temple – strategically located to reach a maximum number of people. The traditional authentic Odia meal of rice, dalma (a lentil-based dish), and khata (a sweet and sour chutney) was chosen for its nutritional value and its cultural significance, providing a taste of local hospitality to the devotees. The Foundation has ensured that all meals are hygienically prepared and served with humility, aligning with the spiritual sanctity of the event. Over 150 volunteers and staff members have been working in shifts round the clock to manage the cooking, transportation, and distribution logistics with utmost care and devotion.
The stall at the bus stand was inaugurated by Dr Sambit Patra, Member of Parliament (Puri). Appreciating the efforts of Jindal Foundation, Dr Patra said, “The Jindal Foundation’s initiative of feeding lakhs of people during Rath Yatra reflects the soul of Indian culture—where service to pilgrims is considered service to the Divine. I applaud their 11 years of continued dedication to this noble cause.”
The stall near Puri Railway Station was inaugurated by ADRM D.K. Behera in the presence of Senior SDM Anil Kumar and other senior railway officials. “It is remarkable how the Jindal Foundation has maintained such scale, hygiene, and dignity in food service,” said D.K. Behera, Additional Divisional Railway Manager. “Their operations are smooth, well-coordinated, and deeply humanitarian. The pilgrims are visibly comforted and grateful for the warm meals and care they receive immediately upon arrival,” he added.
Speaking on the grand services, Shallu Jindal, Chairperson, Jindal Foundation, said, “For the last 11 years, our efforts have been to ensure that no devotee goes hungry while seeking the blessings of Lord Jagannath during Rath Yatra. We are humbled by the blessings and the opportunity to contribute to this grand spiritual occasion of India.”
Inspired by the vision of Naveen Jindal, Chairman, Jindal Steel & Power, Jindal Foundation has been serving devotees during the Rath Yatra Festival since 2015. The services, started on day of Nabajouban Darshan on 26th June 2025, will continue till the day of Sunabesha on 6th July 2025.
In addition to the food services, Jindal Foundation also distributed 10,000 ORS sachets among devotees. Supporting frontline service providers of the district administration, the Foundation also provided 600 raincoats. Three chilled drinking water vehicles, each with a 1000-litre capacity, were deployed to distribute water to the devotees. The Foundation has supplied 50 bio-toilets to the district administration for the convenience of devotees attending the festival.
